As a primary care physician, it’s your responsibility to ensure your patient receives the most effective care, and for soft-tissue and ongoing injuries, medical massage therapy is a viable option. If workers’ compensation is paying for their care, it can make getting this treatment covered a challenge. Below is your guide to why prescribing massage therapy is worth the effort if it’s covered under worker’s comp—and the importance of working with a massage therapist to get your patient covered.

What Does Medical Massage Therapy Treat?

Massage therapy benefits work-related conditions like lower back pain, repetitive stress injuries, muscle injuries, chronic pain, and other soft-tissue conditions. It stimulates blood flow to encourage rapid delivery of oxygenated blood and healing nutrients to the targeted area. Massage reduces inflammation, stimulates the immune system, and leads to faster healing. Ongoing appointments may also reduce the risk of repeat muscle injuries.

Is It Covered?

Although workers’ compensation coverage is a federal requirement, businesses use private insurance carriers to provide it, and what treatments are covered differs from carrier to carrier.

Massage therapy is considered an alternative treatment and is harder to get approved. A prescription from you with appropriate diagnostic codes and a treatment plan from the therapist may—when taken together—urge the insurance provider to cover it, especially if the costs are outlined to be less than standard care.

If you and the therapist both state that it will return the patient to work faster than standard treatments or reduce the chance of another injury on the job, they may agree to it. A medical or workers’ compensation lawyer can negotiate with the insurance carrier on the patient’s behalf to further raise the chances of approval.

What Are the Limitations?

If the carrier covers the cost of massage therapy, there may be other limitations to consider, such as a cap on the number of appointments they’ll cover. If there is, you may be able to write a recommendation outlining why and how your patient would benefit from more appointments.

This approach is again more effective if the massage therapist also sends in paperwork detailing how the patient has benefitted thus far and an estimated number of future sessions needed. A united front from multiple medical providers is harder to deny than just a recommendation from a physician. A lawyer may be helpful here, too. In the end, you will have done your utmost best to help your patient feel better.

If your patient has soft-tissue damage or another condition that could benefit from medical massage, refer them to The Miracle of Massage in Stone Mountain, GA. Their licensed and experienced team treats conditions like neck and back pain, muscle strains, and stress injuries. They’ll coordinate patient care with you to improve the chances of getting workers’ comp approval, and they accept most Health Care FSAs. With your prescription, your patient can book an appointment by going online or calling (678) 883-2873 today.